Since the parking here was supposed to be very limited (and it was – when I got back down it was a madhouse of people trying to find parking, and a flurry of tickets on every car not parked in a ‘legal' spot), I arrived way before dawn and was up to the San Gorgonio wilderness long before first light.  I was expecting this trail to be harder than San Jacinto, but overall I'd say it was a bit easier.  There were a few rough spots, but I think the only thing I found truly taxing was once I was beyond the tree line.  The monotony of the pebbled scenery and the length of time on it, combined with the incline in areas, made it seem worse than it likely was. Fortunately clouds began to form and at least protect from the heat, otherwise it really would have been an ordeal.

Once reaching the top, it turned out to be pretty crowded and noisy. So I wandered south a bit to one of the more distant wind blocks and had a nice picnic lunch, looking out towards Palm Springs and San Jacinto. Here the butterflies were really out in force – fluttering around in packs of a dozen or more, zooming around everywhere. It was definitely peaceful, and with a cool breeze due to the clouds, just the perfect time for my last peak!

The hike down was, as always, much easier and very enjoyable – especially once below the tree line again.

And with that, the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge was COMPLETE!